Colonel Matthew Reed sat in his leather swivel chair and stared at the monitor before him. It showed real-time satellite feed of the Earth's surface beamed down directly to his computer. The detail was impeccable; every cloud, smog cloud and forest fire visible when he zoomed in to specific parts. Multi-coloured dots speckled the entire map, signalling the positions of enemy governments, armies and naval fleets. But all Colonel Matthew, or Matt as he preferred to be called, was waiting for was a single email from a certain blonde Major. 'Major Reagan Miller,' Matt murmured softly, a smile slowly creeping onto his face. The spunky girl was one of his most talented co-workers. Graduating from West Point in 2005, she was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army. Several years of diligence and hard work, coupled with her inclination towards research and science convinced him to enlist Reagan in his super-secret specialised branch of the United States Army. The girl blossomed under his tutelage, and soon his sisterly feelings for her morphed into something more. Matt was frequently ridiculed for having no fear when dealing with issues of national security, yet absolutely dreading the idea of telling Reagan about how he really felt about her. Just then, his computer received a new email. Matt entered the top secret decryption key to decode the encrypted text, and his heart stopped. He stared at the words on his monitor, as if they would disappear if he looked long enough. But they remained, seven simple words which; if true, could spell the end of the world for life on Earth. 'CODE ROMEO ECHO DELTA! SITUATION EVENT HORIZON!' Suddenly, something hit him. Matt frantically grabbed his cell phone and tried calling Reagan's number, but it went straight to voicemail. He knew exactly why she wasn't answering, but his brain refused to accept the fact. He called again and again, but she never answered. Matt yelled in frustration, tears streaming down his cheeks. He took a long look at the monitor, and muttered, 'We're in for some serious shit.'

'You have arrived at your destination,' a female voice chirped robotically.

'Oh my gosh, we're here! Ha-ha, we're here Jade! A-ha-ha, look Beck, we're here!' Cat Valentine started babbling and giggling ecstatically. 'Tori, we're here! Tell everyone!' she screamed into her lilac coloured PearPhone, informing the Latina sitting with all the other passengers in the RV attached to the back of the truck. Beck Oliver smiled at the perky redhead before patting his GPS and saying, 'I love you, Gina.'

'Who's Gina?!' Jade West yelled shrilly, taking out her earphones; which up to that point had been pumping alternative rock music straight into her ear canals.

'Gina is my GPS, Jade,' Beck explained slowly while pointing at the navigation device. He'd been through situations like this numerous times before.

'And I told her that I love her because she managed to do in 30 minutes what Sikowitz couldn't even after seven hours!'

Jade thought for a moment before nodding her head in agreement. 'That crazy old coot told us that he knew exactly where the Beverly Hilton was, and we ended up driving all the way to Sacramento!'

'Okay, why are we still sitting here? Let's go get the others!' Cat screamed as she got out of Beck's truck and ran to the RV.

'Come on, let's make sure she doesn't get herself stuck in a revolving door or something,' Jade told Beck.

'All I really want is to be your..,' the members of Big Time Rush sang and struck their final pose in the Rocque Records studio.

'Great job, guys! Do this tomorrow and you'll kill it for sure!' Kelly Wainwright said cheerily as the boys walked out of the recording studio.

'Yeah, yeah. Just don't mess it up, alright?' Gustavo Rocque added.

'Oh come on, Gustavo! We're pretty much the hottest boy band on the planet right now!' Carlos Garcia stated.

'Not really, as a matter of fact. The worldwide success of British boy band One Direction pretty much eclipses everyone else, including us. But we're one of the hottest in America, if that's any consolation,' Logan Mitchell explained to the adorable Latino.

'Those British wannabes, with their tea and biscuits,' James Diamond scoffed, running his lucky black comb through his hair. 'The only one with the teeniest amount of handsome is Zayn. And don't even let me get started on Harry! Seriously, I have no idea what Taylor saw in him!'

'You're probably just jealous that she didn't ask you to be her date to the Grammy's,' Kelly scoffed. James pulled his tongue at her in reply.

'But what's important is that we're getting there. I mean, tomorrow we'll be opening for Nicki Minaj for crying out loud! It's gonna be huge! I for one just can't wait,' Kendall Knight said.

'Oh yeah, that reminds me. Here are some free backstage passes you can give your friends, compliments of Miss Onika. And here are eight plane tickets to JFK. The flight leaves at 8am, but make sure you're all there at least 2 hours earlier. Now go home and get some rest. It's already midnight. And absolutely no partying!' Kelly yelled to make sure her advice was acknowledged. The boys nodded vigorously before dashing out of the building, leaving Kelly and Gustavo behind.

'Those boys really are something, aren't they?' Kelly asked her heavyset boss.

'They're idiots! But… I do feel like they're sort of my children,' Gustavo said as he sat down at his grand piano, getting ready to compose more songs.

'Yeah, crazy, noisy, testosterone overdosed Los Angeles children!' Kelly chuckled, walking away to make sure everything was ready for tomorrow's concert.

'Whoa!' Andre Harris exclaimed as he stepped into their luxurious hotel suite. It had three rooms, two bathrooms and a kitchenette, each equipped with top of the line fixtures and furniture. Exquisite artwork adorned the finely painted walls, and the complete works of Beethoven and Liszt filled the room.

'How'd the school get the money to pay for this?' Trina Vega asked in astonishment.

'They allocated a few thousand bucks for us just because we got to the finals,' her sister, Tori Vega answered.

'Really? Just because of that? It's just an inter-school performing arts competition, for God's sake!' Jade exclaimed.

'Yeah, but it's the first time Hollywood Arts has ever reached the finals. Like ever. So it's a really big deal for them,' Andre told her.

'I call dibs on that room!' Sikowitz yelled suddenly and raced to one of the bedrooms, locking himself inside.

'I guess we'll have to split the remaining rooms amongst ourselves,' Sinjin Van Cleef told the rest.

'Yeah, I guess Cat, Trina and I can take one room,' Tori said with a smile.

'Okay, Beck and Jade can take the other room. Me, Andre and Sinjin can crash here on the couches,' Robbie Shapiro added.

'You guys take the room with the king-sized bed. We'll take the smaller one,' Beck told Tori good-naturedly. He then took Jade's hand and led her into their room.

'Come on guys, let's get some sleep. My eyelids feel like they weigh a ton!' Tori laughed and walked into the last remaining room, Cat running excitedly behind her.

'Hey Sinjin, get our bags,' Trina told the curly-haired lad.

'But..,' Sinjin whined.

'Sinjin!' Trina yelled at him with a murderous glint in her eyes. Sinjin squeaked in fear and carried every one of their bags into their room.

'Do you have to be that mean to him?' Tori asked with obvious disapproval in her voice, sitting on a leather duvet in one corner of the room.

'He doesn't mind. Do you, Sinjin?!'

'Not at all, Trina!' he said before making a hurried dash for the door.

'See?' Trina shrugged indifferently at Tori.

'One time, my brother asked an old lady to carry his bags back from the shopping mall. But he didn't have money for the bus. So they walked home,' Cat commented randomly. Tori threw her head back in exasperation. Cat was constantly telling them about her freaky brother's weird escapades. If everything she had said before was actually true, the other Valentine kid must be a seriously messed up dude. 'Dad had to drive her to the hospital when they got back,' Cat said and returned her attention to her purple stuffed giraffe, Mr Purple. She started nuzzling the giraffe's snout and giggling incessantly. Beside her, Trina lay slumped onto half of the entire bed, snoring lightly. Tori smiled and placed her head on an ultra-fluffy pillow on the duvet, drifting off to sleep within minutes.

'So, what do you think?' Beck asked Jade. They both sat on their bed facing each other. Beck caressed Jade's foot lightly, drawing little swirls and circles along the sole. Jade shrugged.

'Eh, I've seen better.'

Beck raised his eyebrows and cocked his head to the side.

'Okay, okay! It's totally awesome. Happy?' Jade asked sarcastically.

'Uhuh,' Beck nodded, grinning widely. Jade rolled her eyes, but smiled nonetheless. Outside, they heard the sounds of Andre, Robbie and Sinjin rummaging through the mini-bar and blasting the stereo system to full volume. Just a few seconds later, they heard a door slam open and the shrill voice of Trina Vega screaming, 'Hey, could you guys keep the fuck down?! I'm trying to get some beauty sleep here!' Taio Cruz and Ke$ha promptly shut themselves up.

Beck chuckled. 'Trina is such a grunch, sometimes she beats even you in 'grunchiness'.' Jade punched his arm and got off the bed. She took her black leather jacket off and flung it to the floor, followed by her olive green tank top, and finally her grey lacy brassiere. She then stood in front of an ornate mirror and started prodding her breasts and nipples.

'Hey, if you need any help with that, I'm here y'know?' Beck voiced out from behind her with a laugh.

'Perv!' Jade said, throwing a pillow at him. 'I'm checking my boobs. Just in case I..,' she paused, hanging her head low.

'I know, babe,' the smile disappeared from Beck's face. He walked up to Jade and placed his arms around her waist, his chin resting on her shoulder. 'She'll be okay Jade. Trust me. Stop being so worried,' he said soothingly. Jade turned around to face him, and Beck saw that she had started crying.

'It's just that she was the only person who ever actually cared for me when I was little. Mom and Dad, I was invisible to them. But Cathy made me feel like I was the prettiest princess in the world. We would make cardboard crowns and chase our cats all around the house.' She smirked, wiping a tear off her cheek. 'I'm so stupid. You've probably heard this a million times already.'

'You're not stupid, okay? Never say that. I'll always be here for you. No matter how many times you tell me stuff like this, I'll always be ready and willing to listen,' Beck comforted the raven-haired beauty.

'Thanks Beck,' she smiled genuinely at Beck.

'Oh, and Jade? You might wanna put your bra back on. It's kinda distracting,' Beck pointed at Jade's unrestrained breasts.

Jade laughed and said, 'Well babe, wanna bury your face in my 'distractions'?' Beck grinned and did just that.

'So, what's the big surprise you called us about?' Jo Taylor asked the four giggling boys standing in front of her. She was sitting on the orange couch in Apartment 2J, Katie Knight and Camille Roberts seated next to her.

'Yeah, what was so important that it couldn't wait for the morning?' Camille added curiously. But Kendall, James, Carlos, and Logan stubbornly refused to respond to their questions, choosing instead to grin idiotically.

'Would you morons stop smiling like a bunch of crazed paedophiles and tell us?' Katie Knight asked, a touch of annoyance discernible in her voice.

'Mom should really start monitoring what you watch,' Kendall commented.

'Dude, I'm a 15 year old teenager, not Dora the Explorer. Now spill!'

'Okay, okay,' James interrupted. He flashed his pearly whites and continued. 'For your information, Big Time Rush will be opening for..,'

'Nicki Minaj, we know,' Jo said with a bored tone.

'That's your big surprise?' Katie asked incredulously.

'Yes it is! And why do you guys sound so uninterested? This is huge!' Logan retorted.

'Don't get us wrong guys, of course it's huge! It's just that we already knew about it,' Camille tried to alleviate the situation.

'How? We were all keeping it a complete secret! There is absolutely no way..,' Kendall paused for a second as the realization seeped into his mind.

'CARLOS!' Kendall yelled at the exact same moment as Logan and James. Apparently the thought had occurred to the both of them too. Carlos held his hands up and tried to make a confused face, but the boys could see right through his weak attempt at playing dumb.

'It was supposed to be a secret, dude. Why'd you tell them?' Logan asked despairingly.

'I couldn't wait, okay? It just burst out!' Carlos admitted. 'I'm sorry,' he continued, his sparkling brown eyes wide open and his lower lip pouted slightly. The guys bowed their heads in defeat, knowing that they were no match for Carlos' invincible puppy-dog face.

'Oh, alright! It's not like you can change anything anyway,' Kendall relented.

'Yay, thanks Kendall! You're the best!' Carlos threw his arms around the blond teenager and squeezed tightly.

'Yeah, yeah, tell me something I don't know,' Kendall commented and patted the Latino's back. 'Now we should really get to bed. We've got a big day ahead of us.'

4 hours later, Kendall felt someone gently shoving him. 'Kendall, wake up. It's already 5 o'clock.'

'Five more minutes, mom! Please,' Kendall pleaded, the clutches of sleep still holding him in a tight embrace.

'Dude, I'm not Mrs Knight. It's Jo,' the faceless voice said cheerily.

'Oh. Well then, five more minutes, Jo.' Kendall pulled his blanket over his head and tried to get back to sleep.

'I told you the nice approach never works with him. This is how you do wake a Knight up,' a more matured female voice advised. Suddenly, a torrent of icy cold water splashed onto Kendall's face. He sputtered in shock, his mouth agape and his eyes bulging out. In front of him stood his mother and his girlfriend, both wearing smirks of satisfaction.

'What did you do that for?!' Kendall yelled irately.

'You and I both know that pretty much the only way I can get you to get outta bed before 9am. Now go take a shower and get dressed. Everyone else is waiting. Chop chop!' Mrs Knight instructed before leaving the room.

'You heard the lady. Get your cute little ass into the bathroom,' Jo repeated.

'Care to join me there, milady?' Kendall asked cheekily. Jo's eyebrows shot up and she placed her hands on her hips.

'Shower first, sex later,' she said with an enticing smile.

'Pinky swear?' Kendall held his little finger out. Jo laughed and intertwined her pinky with his, saying 'Pinky swear.' But instead of letting go of Jo's little finger, Kendall grabbed her wrist with his other hand and pulled her on top of him.

'On second thought, maybe we could just lie in bed like this all day. No sex, no touching, just talking,' he whispered lovingly in the blonde's ear. Jo giggled shyly and leaned in to kiss him. Her soft and luscious lips pressed against Kendall's, while her hands roamed all over his toned chest. Kendall caressed Jo's cheek gently and tucked a stray lock of her flaxen hair behind her ear. After what seemed like eternity, Jo pulled out of the kiss slowly and smiled.

'Get ready,' was all she said before walking out of the room. Once she left his bedroom, Kendall noticed that Jo's kiss had left him with a raging boner.

'You're just gonna have to make do with Rosie Palms for now, little buddy,' Kendall sighed, grabbing his smartphone and heading for the bathroom.

'He's wide awake now,' Jo informed the crowd gathered in Apartment 2J. 'Is everyone else ready?' she asked.

'James is still making sure he has adequate supplies of hairspray and teeth whitener for the trip, but the rest of us are ready to go! Woohoo, Nicki Minaj!' Katie jumped around like a bunny high on meth.

'Sheesh girl, calm down. You're gonna get a heart attack,' Camille told the overexcited tween. Katie pulled her tongue out at the brunette, who returned the gesture. Camille then plopped herself down on the orange sofa next to Carlos. 'What time is it?' she asked the Latino. He glanced at his watch and replied, '5.10.'

'Which means we only have 50 minutes before we have to be at the airport! Kendall, James, hurry up boys! We'd better not get caught in the LA rush hour traffic. We'll be stuck in there for hours!' Mrs Knight yelled loudly as she gathered all their backpacks and luggage in the middle of the room.

'I'm ready!' James sauntered out of his room with a can of Cuda hairspray in his hand. He ran a hand across his perfectly sculpted coiffure to ensure no stray hairs were sticking out and flashed a smile. 'Kendall's not ready yet? Awesome!' James fist pumped the air and ran in his room.

'Sleeping isn't the only time we have to rush Kendall whenever we're in a hurry,' Mrs Knight explained upon seeing Camille and Jo's puzzled faces. Just then, an anguished yell emerged from inside Kendall's bathroom. 'James, you're such an asshole!'

James scampered out of the bedroom, barely able to contain his laughter. He was followed by a furious Kendall, wearing nothing but a towel wrapped haphazardly around his hips. Water droplets ran in rivulets down his washboard abs, and his towel was low enough to provide a little glimpse of his well-trimmed golden pubic hair.

'¡Ay, caramba!' Carlos exclaimed.

'Whoa, nice view,' Camille purred seductively. Jo elbowed her ribs in retaliation.

'Ow, hey!' Camille shouted in annoyance.

'That's MY boyfriend. Stay down,' Jo added warningly. 'Care explaining why you're standing there half-naked and soaking wet?' she asked Kendall.

'Ask him!' Kendall replied, pointing at James, who was still laughing his head off.

'Whenever Kendall takes too long in the shower, we mess with the controls for the water heater in Kendall's bathroom,' he managed to say in between bouts of laughter.

'You almost boiled me alive!' Kendall shouted.

'Boys, that's enough. We're in a rush, so go get dressed, Kendall,' Mrs Knight said sternly. Kendall shot James another glare before walking to his room. 'Okay, as for the rest of you, wait for him to finish up. Once he's ready, get the bags and come to the parking lot.'

Tori woke up to the throbbing pain of her cramped neck muscles. She rubbed her sore neck and groaned, stretching her arms and legs. She looked at the wall clock and saw that it was only 6 o'clock. The Latina then glanced at the bed and saw that both Trina and Cat were still fast asleep. Not wanting to wake them up, she crept out of their room soundlessly. Walking into the foyer of the room, she saw Andre, Robbie and Sinjin draped all over the couches. Half-empty bags of potato chips and crushed beer cans littered the floor. The boys must've had one heck of a party last night, Tori thought. She sneaked past them and headed to the kitchenette for a fruit and yogurt smoothie, her food of choice for breakfast. As she walked into the small kitchen, Tori noticed Beck cooking something, his back turned towards her. He was wearing a tight lime green T-shirt and plaid boxers, and his hair was tousled slightly.

'Hi Beck,' Tori greeted cheerfully. Beck jerked his head up in surprise and turned towards the source of the voice.

'Oh, hey Tori. I was just making some breakfast. Want an omelette?' he offered Tori.

'Nah, I actually wanted a smoothie,' Tori shook her head.

'One smoothie coming right up,' he announced with a grin.

'But I…'

'I insist,' Beck cut her off. Tori smiled gratefully and sat on a wooden chair, while Beck started slicing apples and bananas. As she waited for her breakfast, Tori's hyperactive mind started wandering. She decided to focus all her attention on Beck, and noticed something interesting; what seemed to be a sizeable hickey on Beck's neck. 'Whoa, a hickey? Beck got laid last night?' Tori giggled immaturely. Beck turned around and looked at her curiously.

'What?' he asked.

'Oh, nothing,' Tori got evasive. 'The last thing I want is for Beck to find out that I know that he had sex last night,' she told herself. Beck shrugged and poured the beige tinted smoothie mix into a tall glass.

'Breakfast is served,' Beck gave Tori the glass. Tori took a big gulp and moaned. 'Oh my gosh, this tastes so good!'

Beck bowed slightly and laughed, before sitting opposite Tori at the table. Tori continued drinking the heavenly smoothie, but her attention kept getting drawn towards Beck's hickey.

'Okay, what's up?' he suddenly asked.

'Huh?'

'You keep staring at my chest. Why?' Beck raised one eyebrow suspiciously.

'Umm, I like your shirt. That's why,' Tori avoided from telling him the truth. Beck cocked his head to one side, as if saying 'That's it? That's the best lie you could come up with? '. Beck was obviously not buying it.

'Oh, alright,' Tori relented. 'I couldn't help but notice the little… 'lovebite' you have there,' she admitted.

'Wha- Oh, shit!' Beck shot up and rushed to go get a mirror. Half a minute later, he returned with a guilty look on his face.

'Sorry, I told Jade not to get too rough, but...'

'No need to be sorry. It's none of my business anyway. You have the right to sleep with anyone you want,' Tori said. Beck searched her face for any sign of sarcasm, but found none. Tori took another big gulp of her smoothie.

'Okay, wanna go take a walk downstairs? I've been dying to use the grand piano in the main atrium,' Beck suggested. Tori looked down at her outfit; a neon pink tank top and white shorts. 'You look fine,' he assured her. 'Now come on, finish your smoothie and let's go!'

Tori downed the last remaining portion of her delicious breakfast and got up. 'Come on then.'

Beck and Tori snuck out of the hotel room and walked down the empty hallways. They didn't even have any shoes on; the thick carpeting tickled Tori's feet. They held each other's hands and giggled like little kids until they reached the elevator. As they waited for the elevator, Beck and Tori discussed and talked about their performance for the competition later in the day.

'Did you tell Sinjin that we've cut Jade's second act and replaced it with Andre's solo part?'

'Yeah. BTW, Cat really needs some help with her costume. Remember when she first tried putting it on and had to go to the school nurse?' Ding! 'Oh look, it's here. After you,' Tori gestured.

'Alright then,' Beck started once they both entered the elevator. 'Let's get you a last minute practice session, kay?'

'But Andre's not here.'

'So?' Beck asked with an inquisitive look on his face.

Tori sniggered. 'Wait, you're gonna play the piano for me?'

'It could happen!' Beck defended himself.

'So are you actually gonna do it?'

'No,' Beck admitted sheepishly. 'Andre gave me a recording of the song. You could use that.' Ding!

'C'mon, Oliver. Let's go.'

They were an odd sight to behold, two attractive teenagers in their nightclothes in the middle of a posh hotel lobby. Beck sat at the piano and cracked his knuckles. He pressed the ► button on his phone's screen to play Andre's recording, then placed it on top of the piano. When Tori started singing, her mellifluous voice reverberated throughout the deserted lobby. The only person there besides Beck and Tori; a handsome receptionist over at the reception counter applauded as soon as the song was over. Tori winked flirtatiously at him and gave a little wave. The guy grinned and scribbled something on a piece of paper, which he then held up for Tori to see.

'Hey, I'm Brad. Wanna get sum coffee l8r?' it read. Tori nodded, performing her signature move, the 'flirtatious hair-flip' as Jade liked to call it.

'Ooh, looks like someone's got a date!' Beck teased her.

'Shut up,' Tori pulled her tongue out at him.

'Oh Brad, you're so muscular and tough! And your blue tie totally brings out your eyes,' Beck fawned mockingly in a falsetto voice while tucking his luxuriant hair behind his ears like Tori.

'Oh Beck, if you're crushing on him, just say so,' she retaliated. They started shoving each other playfully, which turned into an all-out tickle fight. As Tori tried to block Beck's prodding fingers, she noticed a haggard old man enter the hotel lobby. His clothes were torn and shredded, which led Tori to the conclusion that he was a homeless man. He shuffled towards Brad at the reception counter, who still hadn't noticed the hobo's presence. He seemed to be filing some papers, his back turned towards the advancing man. A chill went up Tori's spine, and she felt compelled to somehow let Brad know about the hobo. 'What if he's some psycho murderer, or a hotel receptionist robber, or a flasher?' she thought. Without a second thought, Tori yelled, 'Hey Brad!' The receptionist swiveled around and saw the weird old man standing at the counter. Tori saw Brad trying to talk to the man, but he didn't seem to respond. She saw him wave a hand in front of his face, probably trying to get his attention. Suddenly, the seemingly slow old man grabbed his hand with surprising agility. 'What the fuck is he... ' Tori's jaw dropped as the hobo chomped on Brad's fingers. Brad started screaming in pain and horror as the lunatic started sawing through his fingers with his teeth. 'BECK, that crazy guy is trying to EAT BRAD!' Tori screamed frantically.

'Trying to eat Brad? What are you talking ab... HOLY crap!' Beck sprang into action, grabbing a wooden chair and running towards the terrible scene. He raised the chair high into the air and slammed it onto the deranged hobo, who crumpled to the floor. Brad was cowering under the counter, nursing his mutilated hand. Two of his fingers were missing, bloody stumps the only remnants of the absent digits. 'Tori, bring Brad up to our room and call the police. And an ambulance,' Beck told Tori, who was still standing near the piano.

Tori nodded and ran towards Brad, and screamed again when she saw the grotesque scene. 'Your HAND!' Oh my God, look at your hand!' Tori shrieked hysterically.

'Calm down, Tori! You're not helping him. Just… take a deep breath and look away,' Beck advised her.

'What about you?'

'I'm gonna restrain him,' Beck replied, pointing towards the hobo who lay passed out on the floor. 'Now go. He needs medical attention fast.'

'Okay. Come on Brad, let's go meet my friends,' Tori said, grasping his wrist and trying to avoid looking at his horrific injury. Beck walked into the office to rummage for some string or twine to tie the hobo up, when he heard Tori's unmistakable scream. 'BECK! HELP!' Beck sprinted out of the office, and gasped.

'Okay kids, we're here!' Mrs Knight exclaimed, parking her black Audi A3 and getting out of the car. The motley crew of teenagers (and one tween) followed her lead; grabbing their bags and heading for the airport. The Sun was just peeking out from below the horizon, its golden rays permeating the receding night's darkness. Logan glanced at his watch, and said, 'It's 6.12. We're 12 minutes late, guys.'

Katie scoffed. '12 minutes, big whoop.' The excitement which coursed through her veins earlier had been dissolved by the combination of sleep deprivation and hunger, replaced instead by grouchiness. 'Mom, I'm hungry!' Katie whined to her mother.

'We'll get some muffins and coffee at a Starbucks in the airport after we check ourselves in,' was her reply. They walked briskly towards the entrance of Los Angeles International Airport, not wanting to be another minute late. As soon as they stepped into the airport, the sizeable crowd astounded them.

'Wow, this many people get up this early?' James asked with astonishment.

'Yeah, and if we don't hurry, all those people will be in front of us in every single queue,' Jo noted.

'Come on, let's go look for the check-in counter,' Mrs Knight told them.

'Wait, why don't a few of us go buy breakfast first? At least that way we'll save some time,' Kendall said. Mrs Knight nodded in agreement. 'Logan, Camille and Carlos, you follow me to the check-in counter. The rest of you, go get us food. We meet up right here as soon as we're done, kay?'

'Sure thing Mom. C'mon guys, I'm starving,' Kendall led Jo, Katie and James to appease their hunger.

'Carlos, Camille, Logan, we'll get breakfast too,' Mrs Knight promised them upon seeing their faces fall. 'Patience is a virtue,' she preached as they proceeded to check themselves in.

'Food!' Katie's face lit up as they walked into McDonalds. The scrumptious aroma of French fries and greasy burgers which wafted into their nostrils drove their salivary glands into overdrive. James and Katie stood in line while Jo and Kendall sat at a vacant table.

'So, opening for Nicki Minaj? I guess Big Time Rush just hit the big time,' Jo initiated conversation.

'You bet your fudge we have!' Kendall grinned.

'Today must be a really important day for you, huh?' Jo continued.

'Of course it is!' he replied.

'Cause you'll be singing along with a voluptuous rapper on stage in front of tens of thousands of screaming fans?'

Instead of saying anything in return, he leaned forward and placed his hand on Jo's. Kendall looked into Jo's eyes; green met brown. 'No babe. It's because today's our fifth anniversary.'

Jo's eyes widened in surprise and a sweet smile appeared on her face. 'You remembered,' she said with a tone of astonishment.

'Why wouldn't I?' he asked gently.

'Well, you have been really busy with the band, and practice, and dancing, and Nicki Min...' Kendall halted Jo's rambling with a light kiss, which slowly deepened. Just then, James and Katie walked up to their table with their breakfast.

'Guys, we've got the food already. No need to eat each other,' James and Katie sniggered.

'You guys are just jealous you don't have someone to kiss,' Jo sneered.

'Whatever. Here's the apple pie you wanted, Jo. And your double cheeseburger, Kendall,' Katie handed them their food items.

'Let's go find the others. We can eat while walking,' Kendall suggested. Just as they exited McDonalds, they all heard the sound of terrified screaming somewhere in the crowd. A commotion rippled through the masses, as confusion gripped each and every individual. Suddenly, they saw Logan, Camille, Carlos and Mrs Knight racing towards them, their faces pale as ghosts.

'Run. Just run. Don't look back; don't stop till we reach the car. We'll explain later. Got it?' Mrs Knight instructed. Kendall, Jo, James and Katie nodded and began to run towards the exit. Mere moments later, more screams were audible, and all hell broke loose. People started running like headless chickens, shoving and pushing each other to escape some unseen danger. Katie gagged when she saw an elderly woman get trampled underfoot after she slipped and fell down on her back.

'Kendall, what the hell is going on?' Jo clutched her boyfriend's arm firmly as she ran. Her other arm gripped Katie's wrist tightly.

'I have no idea,' he replied. They continued their sprint towards the Audi without another word, each lost in their own thoughts.

'As soon as we reach the car, get in and slam the doors shut. No dawdling, understand?!' Mrs Knight commanded them. She sounded strong, but Kendall knew his mother well enough to know this wasn't her usual bravado. 'Something must've really scared her back there,' he thought. He looked at Logan and Camille, who were holding hands and running together. Camille was definitely hyperventilating, while Logan was probably trying to calm the girl down. Even happy-go-lucky Carlos seemed to be a little spooked. Kendall's curiosity got the better of him, and he decided to sneak a peek behind him. What he witnessed would permanently scar him. People were attacking and eating other people, biting and chewing and swallowing human flesh. Blood dripped down their chins and soaked their clothes. Dead bodies lay all over the parking lot, surrounded by puddles of blood.

'Kendall, stop looking!' Carlos yelled at him. His brown puppy-dog eyes were sparkling with fresh tears.

'Okay, get in now! Hurry, hurry!' Mrs Knight urged them when they got to the car. All of them rushed inside and shut the doors behind them. Mrs Knight started the ignition and put the pedal to the metal. The tires squealed in protest as they drove away from the dreadful carnage.

Tori was in grave danger. Three more of the loons had entered the lobby and were shuffling towards her, their vacant eyes focused on a potential meal. Two of them appeared to be female, wearing pretty patterned muumuus; while the other looked like a middle-aged man. Tori definitely had a lead over the loons, but Brad was going into shock, and was slowing her down. 'HELP!' she cried out. Beck was about to rush to her rescue, when common sense hit. 'What if there are more of those things?' he thought. Beck decided to block the entrance just in case any more crazies tried to get in. His 'Uncle' Barbara owned a posh hotel in Boston, so Beck had been exposed to the inner workings of hotels like this since a young age. He looked for the button which controlled the sensor-activated automatic glass doors in the office. Upon finding it, he turned it off, making it impossible to enter the hotel without breaking the doors open. Once he was satisfied, he headed for Tori. By then, the three loons had almost caught up to her. She was still struggling to get both herself and Brad to safety, but it was impossible. One of the crazies latched onto Brad's ankle and sunk its teeth into it. 'Arrgghhh!' Brad screamed in pain before passing out. 'Brad! Oh God, hurry up Beck!'

'Hold on, Tor! I'm coming!' Beck yelled out. He grabbed a fire extinguisher and swung it around like a baseball bat. He bashed the top of the first loon's head with his makeshift weapon so hard that it was reduced to half its original size. He did the same to the second, and then tried to kill the third. After a few hits to the head, the loon let go of Brad. A few yellowish teeth were still embedded in Brad's ankle, which made Tori puke. 'C'mon Tori, carry his legs. I'll carry his torso,' Beck said and lifted Brad up by the underarms. They walked towards the elevator and hit the 'up' button.

'Hurry up, for God's sake!' Tori screamed at the elevator. Suddenly, they heard the sound of glass shattering.

'Please no...' Beck muttered and turned around to see that about ten loons had broken through the glass doors and were aiming straight for them. 'Head for the stairs!' Beck told Tori. They staggered towards the stairway and tried to ascend it. But Brad wasn't a light person, and fatigue was setting in both of them. To make things worse, more and more of those things seemed to be pouring in. As they struggled up the second flight of stairs, Beck had a thought which he didn't like at all. However, the idea started growing more appealing every second. Finally, Beck made the hardest decision he ever had to make in his life. 'Tori, we're gonna have to leave Brad behind,' he told the exhausted Latina.

Tori stared at him like he was a loon himself, and said with a clipped tone, 'Beck, we are not leaving him to the mercy of those things.'

'Tori, look at this realistically! You and I both know that we aren't gonna make it back to our room with him in time! Either way, he's gonna die. The question is whether we will too?' Beck yelled in frustration. Tori took a deep breath and closed her eyes. 'At least he's unconscious, Tor. He won't feel a thing,' Beck coaxed her. Behind them, he heard the chilling moans of the fast approaching loons. 'Come on, Tori! Hurry up!' Beck screamed in his mind. After an agonizing wait, Tori nodded and let go of Brad's legs. Beck placed him on the ground and grabbed Tori's wrist before dashing up the flights of stairs. When they were at the fourth floor, they heard a blood-curdling scream emanate from below them. Beck heard Tori stifle a sob and wiped a few tears from his eyes himself. Once they reached the eighth floor, Beck and Tori made a mad dash for their room. They knocked on the room door frantically, shouting their friends' names repeatedly. After about ten seconds, Andre opened the door.

'Hey guys, we were wondering where…' The easy-going smile disappeared from Andre's face as he took in their bloody and dishevelled appearance. But Beck and Tori had no time for him. They pushed past him and slammed the door shut, locking it as well. Everyone was already awake, sitting on the couches and chatting happily. But they too looked shocked to see Beck and Tori.

'What the hell happened to you guys?' Trina asked, getting up from her seat on the couch.

'We'll explain later. Now I need you guys to barricade the door!' Tori told her.

'Barricade the door? What for?' Robbie inquired.

'A bunch of crazy zombie guys are attacking and eating people, that's why!' Beck replied as he pushed an armoire to block the door.

'Zom-what? You two high on drugs or something?' Jade said sceptically. But before Beck or Tori could say anything in reply, Jade got her answer. They heard frenzied knocking on the wooden doors of several rooms beside theirs. As soon as the doors opened, they heard horrifying screams and creepy moans. Crimson blood seeped from underneath their door, staining the beige carpeting. Just then, someone started knocking on their door.

Cat squeaked and ran to hide in her room. 'I'm under my bed, I'm under my bed, I'm under my bed!' she squealed continually. Everyone's hearts stopped for a moment, terrified at the prospect of what stood behind that door.

Beck inhaled deeply and started barking out orders. 'Andre, Sinjin; carry the table from the girls' room here. Trina and Robbie; go get the chairs from the kitchenette now. Hurry up, people!' Tori walked limply into her room and shut the door, still in shock over the earlier events.

'What happened down there, Beck? What's going on?' Jade demanded to know.

Beck turned to her, his eyes glistening with tears. 'I wish I knew, Jade. I wish I knew.'